Half a month had already passed since he began training with Baek Licheon.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Mhm, you're getting good now."
Baek Liwon crossed his arms and nodded in satisfaction.
Indeed, Baek Licheon's form had improved a great deal compared to when they started.
"W–we're doing spear techniques!?"
Baek Licheon's face lit up.
It was only natural.
After all, what kind of family was the Baekri Clan to begin with?
They were a prestigious spear clan, heirs to the martial arts of the man once called the Divine Spear.
To them, spear techniques carried a special significance.
Of course, Baek Licheon had learned the clan's basic spear skills before…
If I learn from him, I feel like I'll get much better.
That was the conclusion he came to after personally experiencing Baek Liwon's lessons in unarmed combat.
Seeing Baek Licheon's sparkling eyes, Baek Liwon smirked.
"So happy we're moving on to the spear?"
"N-no! I'm just… tired of fist techniques, that's all."
"You really can't be honest, can you?"
Baek Liwon chuckled and continued.
"By the way, just because I teach you spear techniques doesn't mean you can stop practicing unarmed forms. You're doing both."
"What? Why?"
"Whether it's spear or fist, at your age, building a solid foundation is what matters most. And the best way to build that foundation is through repetition and mastery."
It would be a waste to fix his form after all that work over two weeks, only to have him slip back into bad habits.
Baek Liwon intended to drill Baek Licheon until the movements became second nature—so that he'd never forget them.
There's a big difference between something ingrained into your body and something that's not.
Baek Liwon nodded to himself at the thought.
And then—
"Keh-heh-heh. So the rumors were true?"
An irritating voice came from somewhere.
Turning toward it, they saw a boy—one who looked a year or two older than Baek Liwon.
Judging by his age and demeanor…
Ah, so that's the one who used to bully me—Baek Lisang.
At sixteen, he was just beginning to be formally taught the clan's martial arts.
But why was he here?
"Baek Licheon. How pathetic must you be to be taking lessons from some useless illegitimate brat?"
"What? Useless?"
At those words, Baek Liwon's gaze sharpened.
Baek Licheon, on the other hand, flushed red—not because he agreed, but because the Baek Liwon he had known over the past two weeks was anything but useless.
It was just…
"Brother, it's not that my skills are lacking—he's simply outstanding!"
He had shouted that loudly, in front of others, and now it felt embarrassing.
But Baek Lisang only burst into laughter.
"Kwahaha! Look at you idiots patting each other on the back. What? You think that cowardly bastard is 'outstanding'? You must've slacked off so much that you think he's impressive."
"At the very least, I've probably worked harder than you."
Baek Liwon stepped forward and spoke.
At that, Baek Lisang's face stiffened.
"What did you just say? You?"
"What else should I call you?"
"You insolent little wretch…"
"I'd say it's more insolent to come here and pick a fight out of nowhere, wouldn't you?"
"You! Just like the low-born son of a concubine—no sense of propriety!"
"Heh."
Baek Liwon let out a dry laugh.
To attack someone's lineage at the slightest offense…
Brother, I think something rotten must've mixed into your bloodline.
He couldn't believe this was a descendant of that once-kind younger brother. Truly lamentable.
"You really are devoid of manners. Well, in times like this, there's a traditional remedy."
With that, Baek Liwon grabbed a practice staff hanging on the side of the training ground and tossed it over.
Baek Lisang caught it reflexively, looking momentarily dazed.
If at first his unarmed moves had looked like mere flailing… now, it could be said he was truly performing proper martial forms—though still only at a basic level.
Still, to reach that level in just half a month was praiseworthy, and Baek Liwon was not stingy with praise.
"Huff… huff…"
Baek Licheon, however, couldn't respond to the compliment—he was too winded from punching on Baek Liwon's orders for two whole hours.
His stamina had improved since two weeks ago, but this intensity was still brutal. He'd been tempted to quit more than once.
But I pulled through.
It wasn't just because his mother had told him to get along with Baek Liwon.
Reluctant as he was to admit it, Baek Liwon was a good teacher—always hitting the key points, pointing out his flaws, and telling him what he did well.
All he had to do was follow along to benefit.
See? Even now, he'd improved enough to earn praise.
Feels a bit strange, though…
After all, it was praise from someone he'd looked down on just days ago.
Baek Licheon glanced at Baek Liwon, lost in thought.
"What's got you so deep in thought?"
"Nothing. Just wondering if we can move on to spear training now."
"Oh, that? No—we're settling this the martial way, since we're in a warrior's household."
Baek Liwon picked up a long wooden staff of his own.
"After a few hits, maybe that arrogance of yours will come crawling back into line."
"…What?"
Baek Lisang's jaw dropped as if to say, Did I hear that right?
The same reaction came from Baek Licheon and the others.
The Baekun Guard warriors, who had been watching nervously, were especially alarmed.
"P-please wait a moment!"
"Third Young Master, what are you saying!?"
They desperately tried to stop him—it sounded like Baek Liwon was challenging Baek Lisang to a duel.
But that was absurd.
Who was Baek Lisang?
The second son of the clan, a prodigy far ahead of his peers, already at a level where he could be called a martial artist.
And Baek Liwon? He was known for not even having mastered the basics.
"You—you'd better apologize to the young master right now!"
Even Baek Licheon panicked and tried to intervene.
No matter how good Baek Liwon was, he could already picture him being beaten to within an inch of his life.
They may not have been close before, but after two weeks of training together, some bond had formed.
He couldn't just stand by and watch that happen.
"Apologize? For what?"
Baek Liwon only gave a cold smile.
"He's the one who insulted my mother as low-born—why should I apologize?"
"That's…"
Baek Licheon faltered.
In terms of reasoning, Baek Liwon was right.
But the gap in skill is huge!
Their levels of training were worlds apart. This duel shouldn't even be happening.
And yet—
"Ha. Ridiculous. What's wrong with calling someone low-born when they are?"
Baek Lisang stepped forward again, slamming the butt of his staff into the ground—leaving a dent in the dirt.
A clear threat.
"But I'm generous, so I'll forgive your rudeness this once. Just prostrate yourself before me and beg for forgiveness. Then I'll settle this with just a few strikes."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'll smash your legs so you can't stand for a while."
He said it with a cruel smile.
After all, his opponent was the son of a concubine with no allies in the clan.
Their father, who might have intervened, had been away serving the Martial Alliance for over half a year.
Breaking his legs? At worst, he'd get a token scolding.
Arrogant bastard. I'll make sure you never lift your head in front of me again.
Baek Lisang had never liked the rumors of Baek Liwon's "change."
If they were true, that meant another competitor for the successor's seat.
Better to crush him now before he could grow.
"I'll give those words right back to you—you're the one who's about to have a very hard time."
Fortunately, Baek Liwon showed no intention of avoiding the fight.
Perhaps it was only natural.
It was a fight he himself had picked—so backing out wouldn't be easy.
A bright smile bloomed on Baek Ri-sang's face.
Since the duel had been formally established, he could now legally beat that brat to a pulp…
"—!"
But that thought never got the chance to finish.
In an instant, Baek Ri-won closed the distance and swung his wooden staff.
Thwack!
Baek Ri-sang blocked it in a hurry.
Something felt off.
The impact traveling through the wooden staff was far from ordinary.
What the hell—this strength!?
"Let's say it ends when one of us surrenders."
Baek Ri-won flashed a cruel smile.
Then, with a sharp twist of the staff downward, friction bit into Baek Ri-sang's grip, forcing his brow to crease in pain—
Thud!
"Guhhh!"
Baek Ri-won immediately thrust out his palm, slamming it into Baek Ri-sang's stomach.
Baek Ri-sang's face twisted in agony, while a faint smile tugged at Baek Ri-won's lips.
I could've ended it with that single strike.
But there was no need to show such mercy.
After all, the only cure for a brat without manners… was a thorough beating.
Without hesitation, Baek Ri-won began to execute the basic spear technique he had developed himself—
Samjae Yeonhwan Chang (Threefold Continuous Spear).
The movements were simple—linking together three fundamental spear maneuvers: lan, na, and chal—but in perfect, fluid succession.
And just as he had told Baek Ri-cheon earlier, the basics were everything.
Once called the God Spear, Baek Ri-won could easily toy with Baek Ri-sang using nothing more than that.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Gaaaaah!"
Unable to counter, Baek Ri-sang let out a scream as blows rained down on him from every angle.
In desperation, he tried to seize back the initiative by unleashing the more advanced martial arts techniques he knew—
But it was all for nothing.
Baek Ri-won dismantled Baek Ri-sang's techniques with absurd ease, as if he'd known them inside and out from the start.
No—more than that, he turned the fight into a complete, one-sided thrashing.
Thwack!
A strike to the shin.
Thwack!
A jab to the shoulder.
Thwack!
A blow to the ribs.
Every time the wooden staff swung, Baek Ri-sang took another hit somewhere, crying out in pain.
It was so lopsided that one might almost feel sorry for him.
And then—
"S-stop… please…"
The words finally spilled from Baek Ri-sang's trembling lips.
He had taken so many hits that even his voice shook.
At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if a bone or two had already been broken.
But even after hearing him plead for it to stop, Baek Ri-won did not halt.
"If you want me to stop, say the word—'I surrender.'"
Thud!
With those words, he slammed the staff down into Baek Ri-sang's stomach.
"Urgh!"
Baek Ri-sang groaned.
"I… sur—"
Unable to take it anymore, he began to force the words of surrender out—
Crack!
A sound unlike the ones before rang out.
Baek Ri-sang's vision went white with pain, and he looked at Baek Ri-won.
The other man was smiling faintly, watching him.
And in his eyes, it was as if he were saying:
"Oh? You think you're getting the chance to surrender?"
In that instant, Baek Ri-sang understood.
From the very beginning—Baek Ri-won had never intended to let him surrender at all.
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